Parents of students facing disciplinary action should be notified before their child is questioned and signs a written statement, Fairfax County School Board members told Superintendent Jack Dale Monday. The school board also cautioned that audio recordings of disciplinary actions must be handled carefully, following Dale’s release of 10 recommended changes to the district’s discipline policy.
Fairfax school officials have been working toward a more nuanced approach to suspensions and expulsions, after a W.T. Woodson High School student commited suicide in January. Nick Stuban, 15, had admitted in writing to buying a synthetic marijuana capsule before his parents were notified, and his suspension kept him out of school for months.
At a work session attended by dozens of parents, school board members raised key questions that Dale’s directives did not address, such as his desire to “get parents in the loop when it’s appropriate.”
School board member Sandra Evans, Mason, urged a more specific policy: “If we wait until students have been completely questioned — and my understanding is the student sometimes confesses to you and signs a written statement before parents are called?”
Several parents in attendance gasped and put their hands to their mouths when Dan Meier, principal of Robinson Secondary School, replied, “Is that bad?”
Board members also asked for clarification of Dale’s plan to audio-record all disciplinary hearings, which he said he expects to begin immediately. He assured the board that recordings are intended for parents, “not YouTube.”
Of Dale’s recommendations, just one would require the board to vote on a policy change: Authorizing principals to use their discretion when a student brings his own prescription medication to school — current grounds for expulsion.
Many board members stressed the importance of handling students — especially first-time offenders for offenses like marijuana possession — on a case-by-case basis.
But school board member Stuart Gibson, Hunter Mill District, said he was concerned they were giving students a free pass.
“Are we going to a full-tolerance system where a student who uses drugs is tolerated and accepted?” he said.
Tina Hone, at-large, countered that everyone on the board supports a safe learning environment. “But there are many people at this school board table who believe the philosophy of our disciplinary process has to be different than a philosophy of throwing a book at a child,” she said.
